The purpose of the student grievance procedure is to provide each student enrolled at USC Aiken with a standardized, formal process for seeking a resolution when, in the student’s judgment, he/she has been treated unfairly or improperly. Students seeking redress of grievances may do so without fear of reprisal. Students enrolled in USC Aiken’s off-campus programs, once a Change of School form has been completed, shall be entitled to relief from any academic complaint or grievance through the student grievance procedure established in the applicable USC Regional Campus Student Handbook. After a judgment has been rendered on that campus, an appeal to the Executive Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs at USC Aiken and a subsequent appeal to the USC Aiken Chancellor may be made.
Unfair or improper treatment of a student by a faculty/staff member may be defined as:
- An instructor’s or staff member’s failure to abide by stated university policies (including policies related to the adverse effects on a student’s academic standing due to problems in the instructor’s ability to write or speak English) or state law; or an instructor’s failure to abide by written or stated course requirements.
- An instructor’s prejudiced or capricious evaluation practices which result in grades being assigned based on factors other than the student’s performance on coursework. The procedures herein shall not extend to matters of grading student work where the substance of a complaint is based on the student’s disagreement with the markor grade placed on the student’s work in partial or complete fulfillment of the course. Such matters shall be discussed by the student and the faculty member; however, the final decision regarding grade assignment rests solely with the faculty member. This responsibility for the assessment of student academic performance is integral to the nature of an academic institution and to the professional competency of its professoriate.
- Discrimination against students by faculty or staff in academic or non-academic matters for reasons of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability, or veteran’s status.
- Improper personal or professional behavior involving faculty, staff, or administrators, excluding charges of sexual misconduct which are addressed by the USC System Sexual Harassment Policy. In addition to sexual harassment, the following issuescannot be addressed using this grievance procedure: disciplinary decisions, housing appeals decisions, residency classification decisions, traffic appeals decisions or any other type of decision where a clearly defined appeal process exists
This policy can be read in full in the Student Handbook, on pages 54-57.